Mars - Viking 1 Lander

Rocks and Silt in Chryse Planitia on Mars

This image of Chryse Planitia was taken by camera 2 on the Viking 1 Lander on 20 July
1978, exactly two Earth years after Viking 1 landed and took the first picture of
this region. It shows a field of rocks and silt, some of the dust is concentrated
into drifts, which may be stable erosional remnants of sedimentary cover. The darker
drift at upper right appears to be enriched in ferrous material. The larger boulders
near the horizon are about 90 meters away and 1 to 2 meters in diameter. Images were
taken of the same scenes over a long period of time to look for surface changes.
The camera is looking roughly south-southeast.
(Viking 1 Lander, P-20453)
Larger image: 148 K